How to treat appendicitis through or without surgery

Appendicitis (appendicitis) indicates inflammation of the appendix. The cause is blockage, either by fekalit (hardened feces) or a bacterial infection. So, how do you treat appendicitis with or without surgery?

Options for treating appendicitis

Appendicitis must be treated immediately in the right way so that it does not lead to complications. Below are some of the commonly recommended ways to treat appendicitis.

1. Take antibiotics

If your inflammatory condition is mild enough, how to treat appendicitis can be done without surgery. Treatment will focus on giving antibiotics for appendicitis and other drugs to relieve symptoms.

Drugs to be given may include amoxicillin combined with clavulanic acid along with cefotaxime or fluoroquinolones. Sometimes, doctors also give drugs such as metronidazole or tinidazole.

Usually drugs are given by infusion first, then followed by drinking drugs. The duration of treatment is mostly carried out in the range of about 8 - 15 days.

In some patients, treatment of appendicitis using antibiotics alone may be an effective method. In fact, its effectiveness has been proven in several studies.

One of them in research published by Journal of the American Medical Association. As many as 99.6 percent of the total 530 participants who had acute appendicitis reported less pain after 10 days of antibiotics.

Furthermore, it was also found that 73 percent of patients who had appendicitis for 1 year and were treated with antibiotics did not need surgery.

Researchers also state that the non-emergency condition of the appendix is one of the success factors in treating appendicitis without surgery.

Then, the research was retested in 2018 through the British Medical Journal. The results, suggest that antibiotics can be a way to treat inflammation of the intestine without surgery that is not followed by complications.

However, that does not mean that just taking antibiotics for appendicitis can just heal. There is still a fairly high chance of appendicitis recurrence, even after taking the antibiotics until they run out.

From the research above, how to treat appendicitis without surgery can cause a recurrence of 39.1 percent within 5 years. For some people who experience relapses, the only way out is by surgery.

2. Home care to support recovery

Treating appendicitis will not be effective without proper home treatments. That's why you are obliged to do maintenance at home. If not, the surgical scar can cause complications after appendectomy, one of which is inflammation.

Some things that need to be considered during the body's recovery period from appendicitis, including:

avoid strenuous activities or make you move a lot like exercise after appendectomy, you can only do this activity after 2 to 6 weeks after surgery (if it is done),
use the best possible time to rest in order to increase the immune system in curing infection and preventing infection, and
follow a diet prescribed by a doctor or nutritionist so as not to aggravate the performance of the intestines that are currently recovering.

3. Appendix surgery (appendectomy)

Appendectomy or appendectomy is the preferred way of treating the appendix. As reported by the National Health Service website, this procedure can be performed using the following techniques.

Keyhole surgery

Surgery is more often an option because it tends to heal faster than open surgery. How to treat appendicitis with this operation is done by making 3 or 4 small incisions around the stomach.

Then, the oak will then be inserted into your stomach, such as:

a tube filled with gas that functions to expand the stomach, this tool helps the surgeon to see the condition of your intestines more clearly,
laparoscopy or a small tube equipped with a small camera to transmit the image in the stomach to a monitor, as well
small surgical tools needed to remove the inflamed appendix.

After the problematic appendix has been removed, the doctor will close the incision with stitches. These stitches can be removed in 7 - 10 days.

Open operation

In some cases, keyhole surgery is not recommended as a way to treat appendicitis. Instead, the doctor will recommend open surgery.

Some of the conditions for appendicitis that require this surgical method are:

the appendix has ruptured and an abscess has formed, as well
the patient had previously undergone open abdominal surgery.

This operation to treat appendicitis is done by making a larger incision in the lower right side of the stomach.

When the appendix has ruptured and causes wider infection to the lining of the peritoneum (peritonitis), an incision is usually made in the middle of the stomach. This medical procedure is also called a laparotomy.

In the case of an appendix that causes an abscess, the doctor first drains the pus and drains it. The doctor will insert a tube as the abscess pus passes out of the body.

After making sure the infection has disappeared (several weeks), then an appendectomy is performed. During the drainage period, the doctor will give you an injection of antibiotics. Furthermore, antibiotics are given by mouth (oral antibiotics).

How to treat appendicitis must be responsive

Unlike the flu or cold, which can be treated with home remedies and rest, appendicitis requires immediate medical attention.

Before seeing your doctor to find the best way to treat colitis, you also need to understand the difference between ordinary stomach pain and the symptoms of appendicitis. Stomach pain due to inflamed appendicitis is different from stomach pain due to recurring ulcers, for example.

Keep in mind that the abdominal pain which is the sign of appendicitis usually appears on the lower right side of the stomach. While the usual abdominal pain is felt in the middle or just below the chest. In addition, other symptoms that commonly accompany are nausea and vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.

When a person has appendicitis, the part of the intestine that is responsible for influencing the immune system becomes inflamed.

Without treatment, the appendix can form an abscess, which is a pus-filled lump. Pus is a collection of dead bacteria, tissue cells, and white blood cells.

If within 48 - 72 hours it is not treated properly, the appendix can rupture. The rupture of the inflamed intestine can spread infection-causing bacteria throughout the body. Bacteria can enter the bloodstream to cause sepsis (blood poisoning) which can lead to death.

Therefore, when you have experienced these symptoms and suspect appendicitis, do not delay and visit a doctor immediately.